8. Statutory Throughcare, Voluntary Assistance and the Throughcare Addiction Service (Charts 8 and 9, Tables 8.1 to 8.7)
8.1 A total of 5,292 individuals were subject to statutory Throughcare (in the community and in custody) as at 31 st March 2008, an increase of 4 per cent from the 5,081 such individuals the previous year. Of these individuals, forty-four per cent were being supervised in the community. Of the 5,292 individuals, 97 per cent were male.
8.2 1,056 Statutory Throughcare ( TC) cases commenced in the community in 2007-08. This represents a decrease of 16 per cent from the 1,256 cases which commenced in 2006-07. Almost all cases commenced were for males (95 per cent). Thirty-three per cent were for Parole licences, 26 per cent for Non Parole licences, 16 per cent for Supervised Release Orders, nine per cent for Extended Sentences, six per cent for Life licences, six per cent for short-term sex offenders and four per cent for other forms of supervision in the community.
Throughcare Cases Commenced in the Community by Type and Gender, 2007-08
Chart 8 Number per 10,000 population
1. Section 15 of the Management of Offenders Etc. (Scot) Act 2005.
8.3 In 2007-08, 879 Throughcare (in the community) cases were completed, a decrease of 8 per cent from 954 in 2006-07. Thirty-two per cent related to Parole licences, 27 per cent to Non-parole licences and 17 per cent to Supervised Release Orders. The remaining 24 per cent related to Extended Sentences, Life licences and other forms of community supervision.
8.4 Criminal Justice Social Work is expected to provide a throughcare service to all prisoners who are subject to statutory supervision post release. This service begins at the start of a prisoner's sentence and is managed via the Scottish Prison Service's Integrated Case Management process. 2005-06 was the first year in which information on Throughcare cases commenced in custody has been collected. Previously the collection focused only on the number of individuals in custody as at 31 st March. In 2007-08, 1,247 Throughcare (in custody) cases commenced. Again, the majority were for males (97 per cent). Fourteen per cent were for Extended Sentences, 11 per cent were for Life licences, 12 per cent for Supervised Release Orders, 4 per cent for short term sex offenders and 59 per cent for other determinate sentences of four years and over.
Throughcare Cases Commenced in Custody by Type and Gender, 2006-07
Chart 9 Number per 10,000 population
1. Section 15 of the Management of Offenders Etc. (Scot) Act 2005.
8.5 Information on Voluntary Assistance ( VA) was collected for the first time in 2004-05 and, from 2005-06 onwards includes data on the new Throughcare Addiction Service (see paragraph 9.7 below). There were a total of 2,175 individuals receiving voluntary assistance in 2007-08. This represents a decrease of 3 per cent compared to the 2,234 individuals receiving assistance in 2006-07.
8.6 In 2007-08, a total of 2,603 voluntary assistance cases commenced, a decrease of two per cent on the previous year.
8.7 The new Throughcare Addiction Service ( TAS) commenced on 1 August 2005 and forms part of the voluntary aftercare service. Further information is available in the Annex at paragraph 13.19. Of the voluntary assistance cases commenced, 1,424 related to the Throughcare Addiction Service ( TAS). These 1,424 cases related to 1,079 individuals who received TAS in 2007-08. This was a decrease of 7 individuals on the 2006-07 figure of 1,086 individuals.